Leadership Shuffles at Johnson & Johnson, Hengrui, AbbVie, and Yangtze River Pharma Amid Strategic Restructuring

After the holiday, several multinational pharmaceutical companies have undergone personnel changes.

▍Johnson & Johnson Innovative Pharmaceuticals Replaces Head of Oncology Business in China

Today, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Pharmaceuticals China announced two senior executive appointments: Chen Jian, Vice President of Johnson & Johnson Innovative Pharmaceuticals China, Head of Oncology Business Unit, and Market Access & Government Affairs, has been...Appointed as the Head of Commercial Operations and Innovative Diversity for Johnson & Johnson's pharmaceuticals sector in China, and simultaneously appointed as the General Manager of Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.,Base Beijing remains unchanged, directly reporting to Cherry Huang, President of Johnson & Johnson Innovative Pharmaceuticals China.

As previously introduced by Big Miao, Chen Jian is an "old Johnson & Johnson" employee. He graduated in pharmacy from Hubei College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (now Hubei University of Chinese Medicine) in 1993 and later pursued an MBA at Wuhan University and CEIBS.

After graduating from university, Chen Jian worked at the local drug inspection institute for three years. Then, like many young pharmaceutical graduates at the time, he joined Xi'an Janssen, which had strong influence back then, in 1996 and chose to become a pharmaceutical representative.

Later, Chen Jian was promoted successively at Xi'an Janssen, holding positions such as Regional Manager, Area Manager, National Bidding Manager, Director of Commercial Strategy and Market Access, Head of the Innovative Products Division, and Head of the Oncology Business Unit.

On September 5, 2023, Huang Chen became the new president of Xi'an Janssen, and the leadership team of Janssen China underwent personnel adjustments. In addition to his role as the head of the Oncology Business Unit at the time, Chen Jian was also appointed to concurrently serve as the head of Market Access and Government Affairs.

The successor for the oncology business has also been determined, bySévan Kaloustian, General Manager of Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine's JENA (Jordan, Egypt, and North Africa) region, has taken over and become a core member of Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine's leadership team in China., directly reporting to Huang Chen, President of Johnson & Johnson Innovative Pharmaceuticals China.

Sévan Kaloustian studied biology at Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 in France and later obtained a Ph.D. in pharmacy from the Université de Montréal in Canada. After completing his Ph.D., he was hired as an MSL by Janssen in Paris, France. He also worked as a pharmaceutical sales representative for half a year and was promoted to sales supervisor.

Sévan Kaloustian has had a very successful career at Janssen, holding various commercial roles across different regions, and was appointed Managing Director of Janssen Romania in 2019.

Since May 2022, Sévan Kaloustian has been appointed as the Regional Managing Director of Janssen JENA (Jordan, Egypt, and North Africa), achieving significant regional business growth. He has now been appointed as the Vice President of Johnson & Johnson Innovative Pharmaceuticals China and Head of the Oncology Business Unit, responsible for the overall business strategy formulation and operational management of Johnson & Johnson Innovative Pharmaceuticals China’s Oncology Business Unit.

▍Chen Dong of Hengrui Resigns, Joins AbbVie

It is reported that,Chen Dong, Head of Hengrui Medicine BD China, has left Hengrui Medicine and joined AbbVie.

Chen Dong graduated from the Life Sciences program at Wuhan University and later obtained his Ph.D. from Yale University. Before joining Hengrui Medicine, he received professional training related to the pharmaceutical industry at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and Yale University's pharmaceutical graduate program.

In December 2017, Chen Dong joined Hengrui Medicine as the Head of China Business Development, responsible for product licensing, joint ventures, acquisitions, global partnerships, existing collaboration alliances, and new product pricing strategies at Hengrui Medicine. Since February 2023, he has led Hengrui's China business development team, focusing on search evaluation, due diligence, deal negotiation, and alliance management for global collaborations.

During Chen Dong's tenure, Hengrui Medicine's business development efforts achieved several significant advancements. The product licenses, joint ventures, and acquisitions of global partnerships he oversaw brought multiple important international collaboration projects to Hengrui Medicine.

Hengrui Medicine has experienced several high-level changes in recent years. In 2022, Zou Jianguo, Tao Weikang, and Zhang Xiaojing, former vice presidents of Hengrui Medicine, successively resigned and joined companies such as Junshi Biosciences, Qilu Pharmaceutical, and Antengene Corporation.

In addition, in 2023, Zhou Yunshu, chairman of Hengrui Medicine, resigned from his positions as chairman and general manager due to health reasons.

▍Former CDE Chief Scientist of Rongchang Bio Takes Office at Yangtze River Pharmaceutical

According to informed sources, Dr. Ruyi He, former Chief Scientist of CDE at Rongchang Bio, has officially been announced as the next appointee within the hiring company!

According to previous reports by this account, on February 6, Rongchang Bio, a Chinese innovative drug company, announced that He Ruyi, the company's executive director and core technical personnel, resigned from his positions as executive director of the second board of directors, member of the board's strategy committee, and chief strategy officer due to personal career development reasons. He will no longer serve as a core technical personnel of the company. After leaving, He Ruyi will no longer hold any position at Rongchang Bio.

According to informed sourcesDr. He Ruyi has taken up the position at Yangtze River Pharmaceutical, temporarily serving as the Chief Medical Officer (CMO).

This appointment may bring new development opportunities for Yangtze River Pharmaceutical.

Dr. He Ruyi's Resume:

Born in March 1961, received a Bachelor of Medicine and a Master of Medicine from China Medical University in August 1983 and July 1986, respectively, and obtained a Doctor of Internal Medicine degree from Howard University in the United States in July 1999.

From July 1986 to March 1988, served as an internal medicine doctor at the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University;

From March 1988 to June 1996, he served successively as a visiting scholar and researcher at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States;

From June 1996 to June 1999, served as an internist at Howard University Hospital and affiliated hospitals in Washington, D.C., USA;

From July 1999 to July 2016, served as Medical Director, Head of the Medical Team, Acting Deputy Director of the Department, etc., at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research;

Chief Scientist at the Center for Drug Evaluation of the China Food and Drug Administration (now the National Medical Products Administration) from July 2016 to October 2018;

Chief Scientist of Healthcare (later turned into Project Evaluation Consultant) at SDIC Capital Investment Management Co., Ltd. from October 2018 to present;

Served as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Clinical Research of the Company (RemeGen) from January 2020 to August 2024; has served as Chief Strategy Officer of the Company since August 2024; and has served as Executive Director of the Company since May 2020.

On February 6, 2025, confirmed departure from Rongchang Bio.

Compiled from: Pharma Representative, Pharma Investment Tribe, Pharma Community